PRINCETON, N.J. – One dollar may not seem like much, but Saratoga Rowing Association’s approach to fundraising proved that a little bit goes a long way. A donation of approximately $2,400 was collected from the organization’s five primary events and will be directed towards development of athletes, particularly at the junior and under 23 levels.

“We decided last winter that from each of our five races last year, we would donate one dollar from each entry fee,” said coach and regatta director Chris Chase. “We throw out the challenge to other regattas and hope to encourage more to follow suit. We plan to do this every year. If all the major regattas in the country could do it, the results would be awesome.”

USRowing junior national team development coach Steve Hargis said he is truly appreciative of Saratoga’s continued support.

“Their creative approaches to athlete training, retention and now, financial support continues to make a real difference on our development efforts,” said Hargis. “The money contributed to the junior teams this year will be used to provide financial assistance to those selected athletes that require it so they can compete in the junior world championships in France, providing a development opportunity for those athletes looking to pursue their dreams of becoming a U.S. senior team athlete in the future. Saratoga is making this possible one dollar at a time.”

“If we can lead the way and inspire others, this is an easy way to donate,” said Executive Director Eric Catalano. “We realize that there are a lot of good rowers that don’t compete internationally because of a lack of resources. We understand the high cost of training, and we feel that this is an area that could stand to be better supported. It’s such a small cost with such a big benefit for the development of future senior elite teams.”

Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the Saratoga Rowing Association was founded by Chase in 1996 and currently supports more than 160 students from surrounding schools, including Saratoga High, Schuylerville, Ballston Spa, Stillwater, Queensbury, Spa Catholic and Spring Hill Waldorf School. SRA also maintains learn to row and masters community programs, with future plans for creation of adaptive, at-risk and development camp programs.

Saratoga Rowing Association hosts the Slides of March indoor regatta, Saratoga Invitational, New York State Championships, Tail of the Fish and Head of the Fish. In 2009, SRA plans to add a new event to its calendar. The singles-only regatta will be open to all age groups, with the winner receiving a plane ticket to Turin, Italy, for the Silver Skiff Regatta.

USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing’s Official Patron is Concept2; its Official Electronics Outfitter is Nielsen Kellerman; its Official Dock is Connect-A-Dock; and its Preferred Printer is Sport Graphics Printing. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation.

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